Tag Archives: Community fundraising

Lesley, a family friend of George who had quadriplegic cerebral palsy, cycles in his memory every year. Last year George’s Marvellous Bike Ride partnered with Scope to fundraise to help other families and raise awareness.

In this blog, Lesley talks about George who inspired this tremendous event and how much it means to get everyone’s support.

George and his mum, Anna

George inspired those around him to enjoy life

Since 2012, Georges Marvellous Bike Ride has gone from strength to strength. All in memory of one incredible boy. George Hutchings had quadriplegic cerebral palsy and needed 24-hour care. He was unable to move around independently or speak. George was always happy and inspired those around him to enjoy life. We want to continue to help others like him to enhance their lives and relieve the pressure on their families.

This year, we chose Scope to partner with. We felt like Scope had the right ethos because it supports people like George. It was an easy choice. I saw the challenges and hardship George and his family faced.

It is a community event

We all decided to do a ride as Anna (George’s mum) used to do a lot of cycling with George. It has been a very big part of their lives. It isn’t just a ride. It is a community event. We want to incorporate as many people and make it as accessible as possible.

George’s Marvellous Bike Ride consists of a mix of rides and routes aimed at families. A lot of children take part. One boy raised £700 and he had a broken arm. There are options for all riders of all abilities cycling distances from 11 miles to over 60 miles.

George’s Marvellous Bike Ride banner

We’ve had the most riders since we started in 2012

Our small team consists of me, my husband (Rob), Anna, George’s uncle Nick and a few more friends. We want to keep the ride small and informal as we don’t want it to be a huge ride that will lose all its meaning.

It’s a very emotional day, as it’s about George. It’s an amazing way to remember George and celebrate his memory. It’s so nice to see everyone happy, especially this year as it was a bright sunny day.

Cyclists getting ready to set off.

It really came home this year how much of a community event it is. It was lovely to see everyone in their bright yellow t-shirts. We had 92 altogether, which is the most riders we’ve ever had since it started in 2012.

We’ve had one little supporter from the start called Amy, who gets everyone sorted on the day. She was 7 at the first ride and is 13 now and has helped us every year since.

We will continue to raise money for George.

We will carry on organising the bike ride and spread Georges story. When it’s frantic the morning of the event I always say I’m never going to do this again, but then when it’s over I’m always the first to ask what date we are doing it next year.

Scope is incredibly grateful to everyone involved in Georges Marvellous Bike Ride and to George himself for inspiring so many people to make a difference.